


A sorcerers help

by vcdbtch2



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Boys In Love, Cuddling, Fluffy, Kissing, M/M, Merthur - Freeform, Soft Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Worried Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:41:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27642266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vcdbtch2/pseuds/vcdbtch2
Summary: After a beast attacks the kingdom, Arthur and the Knights call for magical help.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 159





	A sorcerers help

"Sire" Sir Gwaine burst through his chamber doors, placing his hands on his knees as he caught his breath.

"Sire, the beast just attacked the lower town again, at least 10 people dead" He finally spoke.

Arthur leant forward and placed his hands in his hair as he heaved a deep sigh. This was the third time in a week a strange beast had attacked the lower part of Camelot. The first time It attacked it was merely the size of a wolf and seemed to be interested in terrorising the village instead of killing. Though now, the beast was as big as a unicorn that seemed to be solely interested in taking lives. 

The knights attempted to slay the beast but it soon became apparent to them that simple swords wouldn't be efficient enough. They sought the help of a neighbouring kingdom and teamed up with their knights in hopes of slaying the beast together with no avail, all they succeeded in doing was making it angry.

"Sire" Gwaine's voice broke him out of his thoughts. The King lifted his head up and turned to face the knight who had the familiar glint in his eyes.

"What? do you have a plan?" The prince asked hopefully.

Gwaine bit his lip nervously as he thought the plan over once more. He knew it was going to be painful but it was becoming clearer to the other knights, who all agreed, that the only way to stop the beast was using magic.

"The beast is growing bigger every attack and our weapons aren't doing any damage to it" The knight explained. "The knights and I thought it over and it appears the only option is magic"

Arthur stood up from his chair so fast it toppled over behind him. "Absolutely not" 

"Sire, I know you don't want to resort to this but we have no option. If we don't ask for his help the beast will only continue to attack and more innocent people will die, we can't let it happen"

Arthur ran a hand through his hair as he picked the chair up and sat back down, his knees suddenly growing weak. The king knew since the second attack the beast was of some magical kind as it somehow grew a large amount in a few days but he didn't want to admit It to himself. Magic, in Arthur's eyes was an evil weapon and that anyone who wields it deserved to die immediately. Now, After his former manservant and best friend was exposed for being a sorcerer and was banished from the castle, his feelings towards it were pure anger.

Merlin was his best friend, everyone's best friend. He was a kind and loyal boy who would give assistance to anyone despite their rank, peasant or royal. Since his first day at Camelot, he became Gaius' physician's apprentice and from that day on, he showed such precise care for the sick and injured. Merlin had shown such loyalty and respect to Arthur and the knights of the round table since the very beginning, despite his very sarcastic and playful banter he and the blonde shared over the years. Arthur would never admit it now, but he even developed a sort of crush on the boy. He knew nothing would come out of his feelings, but that didn't stop his heart from fluttering at the sight of the boy's toothy grin, nor did it stop the way his breath hitched in his throat when he and the boy locked eyes. When Merlin was banished from the castle, the king pushed all the former feelings he had for him out of his brain and fought to forget about them.

Arthur squeezed his eyes shut as he made is decision, he just hoped it was the right one. "Very well, you may request for his assistance"

"Yes Sire" Gwaine smiled reassuringly at him as he walking to the door. Just as he was about to twist the handle he looked back over his shoulder and spoke again. "Sire, you're doing the right thing"

The prince nodded aimlessly before he turned his attention back to the window. He sure hoped it was doing the right thing.

***

It was two days later, two days of absolute hell for Arthur. He had managed to get maybe two hours of sleep in total which caused him to become more distracted. He tried extremely hard to push the boy out of his mind but every time he closed his eyes he saw his breathtaking eyes or the smile he adored so much.

Now, the Knights and Arthur were standing on Camelot's steps, anxiously awaiting the arrival of their former friend. Though the boy was a traitor who betrayed everything he stood for, the knights still shared a fondness for the boy. Of course, once he was banished, they put their own feelings aside and followed the Princes orders to forget they ever met him and go about their lives as normal.

Arthur's breath hitched in his throat when he heard the sounds of hooves approaching the gates. It was only a few seconds until a beautiful white mare came into view. Though, the men weren't interested in the horse, they were interested in the one who occupied the saddle. As the horse was slowed down to a trot, the view of the man they once called a friend became clearer and Arthur had to squint his eyes to make sure it was actually Merlin.

The first thing Arthur noticed was the way he slid of the horse with precision and grace, a skill he could never master before. Then, as he handed the horse over to a stable hand and turned to face them, more of his features were clearer. The usual black and unnamable mop that sat on his head was now more of a dark brown with curls that sprung down over his forehead. His usual lanky frame was still the same, though now it had more visible muscle and Arthur couldn't help but wonder who would win in an arm wrestle.

Arthur intensely watched the way the boy walked towards them. Over the years, the king had grown accustomed to the uneven walk of his manservant. The way he wobbled on his feet every now and again when he walked or the way he would suddenly trip over seemingly nothing always managed to make Arthur smile. Now though, his walk was completely different. His posture was straighter, showing off just how tall he actually was. He walked with such skill and grace that if Arthur didn't know him, he would assume he was royalty.

As Merlin approached the steps and their eyes locked, Arthur was frozen. He wanted nothing more than to tackle the boy to the ground and wrap him in a warm embrace like he would dream of in the past, but he knew it wasn't proper anymore. So instead, when he approached, Arthur offered him a friendly nod which he returned without a second thought.

"So, what kind of beast are we dealing with?" Merlin asked as the group walked through the halls towards the throne room.

"It's got the body of a wolf but the wings of a bat" Arthur replied.

Merlin nodded in response while he wracked his brain of what kind of creature it could be. "Have you got any other details?"

"Yes, it seems to be growing" Gwaine spoke up as the group sat down on the round table.

"Growing?" Merlin widened his eyes.

"Yes, growing, do you know what that means?" Arthur rolled his eyes. Internally, he was chastising himself for being so pratty in the first five minutes but it felt so awkward around Merlin after everything that happened and his first instinct was to rely on banter to fix things.

Merlin shot him a glare and though the King would rather die than admit it, it intimidated him a little. His mind kept flicking back to the innocent servant boy Merlin used to be, and it was hard for him to register that he had grown up now. Their usual banter consisted of Arthur being a prat and Merlin trying his best to look past it, so Arthur wasn't used to him being so mature and well, powerful.

"What do you mean growing?" Merlin asked.

"The first night it attacked, it was the size of the wolf and the third time it attacked it was the size of a unicorn" Gwaine explained, eyeing Merlin's look of nervousness. 

Merlin stood up out of the chair and began slowly pacing back and forth, fiddling with his hands as he muttered incoherent words to each other, something Arthur knew he only did when he was nervous or trying to think. "When did the attacks Start?"

"This week" Arthur narrowed his eyebrows as he watched Merlin suddenly stop and stare at him with an indescribable expression.

"Wait, it only started attacking this week and it's already grown three times its size?!" 

The others nodded in response and watched as Merlin began pacing back and forth again. Arthur rolled his eyes as he shared an irritated look with his knights who were also watching the boy.

"Merlin, stop pacing for god sakes and tell us what you're thinking!" Arthur snapped.

"Well sire" Merlin spat out. "I need some time to think!"

"We brought you here to help us, can you do It or not?" 

"Look" Merlin sighed as he stopped walking and turned to face the king directly. "During my many years alive I've studied over 5 thousand different mythical creatures, all with their different quirks which can make them less or more dangerous. I need to think properly and I can't do it if you're pressuring me"

Arthur's eyes widened at the power in Merlin's voice. It was clear to him now that the boy wasn't the irritatingly positive boy he used to be, now he was a wise, powerful person. The King's heart clenched painfully at the realisation he had done that, he had sent Merlin away, betrayed his trust and friendship by doing so. When Merlin was found to have magic, he was furious at the boy for lying, but as mad as he was he refused to have him killed so he did what he thought was best and sent him away. Later on, he realised that was a mistake and he had actually made Merlin's worst fears come true.

"Okay. do you have a prediction when the next attack will be?" Merlin turned to ask the knights.

"It's kind of random" Gwaine shrugged.

"kay" Merlin nodded. 

"I need to ask a favour, it's nothing big but I know you all hate me now so I guess I have to ask permission" 

Arthur couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart when he noticed Merlin's words were directed at him, despite him addressing the knights as well. The truth is, Arthur didn't hate Merlin, none of them did. They were just so upset he had lied to them for so many years and they let it blind them of who the boy really was.

"What do you need?"

"I need to go through my old magic books. I have a hunch of what the creature could be and if I'm right, we're in for a big fight" Merlin ran a hand through his hair and Arthur couldn't help but watch as the curls straightened with his fingers, only to spring straight back to their position on his forehead.

"Okay, Gwaine and Lancelot accompany him back to his old chambers" Arthur ordered the two knights who nodded in response.

"I'm not going to blow up the castle" Merlin rolled his eyes as a smile tugged at his lips.

Arthur rolled his eyes and tried his best to fight the smile that forced its way onto his face as he watched the three walk out of the room.

Arthur sighed as he flopped down on his bed, not bothering to take his boots or day clothes off. He turned onto his back and huffed in annoyance as he stared up at the ceiling. He didn't understand. He thought he had successfully shoved his feelings for his former manservant and best friend aside and replaced them with bigger problems, but seeing him again today broke the wall he had built and now all the feelings were flooding back into him. He was trying so hard to be angry at the man, to see him as a traitor, but Arthur knew deep down that wasn't who he was, and it made everything a lot harder.

***

Arthur groaned internally to himself as he neared the physicians chambers. He wasn't sure what possessed him to leave his warm bed in the middle of the night, but here he was, walking through the halls of Camelot in his sleep clothes. 

He briefly closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he turned the handle to the brown door and swung it open. He smiled to himself when he saw Merlin sitting by the fire, surrounded by books as he quietly flipped through each one. 

Arthur cleared his throat to catch his attention as he had been to engrossed in his books he didn't even realise the prince's presence, either that or he didn't acknowledge it.Merlin shot his head up and smiled slightly before continuing to flip though the pages. Arthur rolled his eyes and walked over to the boy. He hesitated for a second before he moved some of the books aside so he could sit down next to the fire as well.

"You find anything?" Arthur spoke after a few seconds of silence.

"Not yet, but I'm close" Merlin replied, keeping his eyes glued on the pages.

"How can you tell?" 

"Gagic, Arthur, remember?" Merlin smirked as he continued to flip through the pages.

Arthur pursed his lips and nodded slowly as he watched Merlin silently flip through pages, his eyes darting left and right as they carefully studied every word. He felt his heart flutter as his eyes drifted from his eyes down to his lips, which were slightly agape as small puffs of air escaped them every so often. Once he took in Merlin's full, Rosy lips, his eyes darted to Merlin's bare neck. He only got the pleasure of seeing his neck and collarbones a few times during the many years they had known each other, which was the sole reason he hated the stupid red neckerchief he always wore.

His breath hitched in his throat when Merlin moved his neck slightly, the light from the fire exposing a rather large scar on his neck that sure wasn't there before he left Camelot. 

"What happened to your neck?" Arthur asked.

Merlin subconsciously drove a hand up to his neck, running his thin fingers over the scar out of habit. "You know me, I'm clumsy"

"Merlin" Arthur glared, though his eyes showed more worry than anything. He had come to be very protective of his servant over the years, if anyone so much as hurt his feelings they would be run through.

"Who?" Arthur asked, worry evident on his features which made Merlin smile fondly at him.

"No one, it's fine" Merlin's eyes darted back to the pages, obviously trying to get out of the conversation. 

Arthur glared at him again, making sure Merlin knew there was no room for argument. That seemed to work, as Merlin heaved a deep sigh and closed the book, biting his lip as he turned to face the King.

"Camelot Knights"

"What!?" Arthur shouted. "Why would they attack you!?"

"Apparently they thought I had put a spell on you from the beginning and they wanted to make sure I was no harm to you" Merlin shrugged.

"I-i'm sorry, Merlin" Arthur was unable to find the words, too shocked and angry at his knights. He knew for a fact it wasn't any of the Knights of the round table, but the very thought of someone under his employment would hurt the man he loved made him unbelievably angry. The scar appeared to be well healed, most likely years have passed since the attack and the Knights were fired long ago.

"it's fine, Arthur" Merlin assured him, a soft smile on his face. It made the warlock feel warm and fuzzy inside to see the King still caring about him, despite betraying years of friendship and being a traitor to Camelot.

"No, it's not fine. If I hadn't of been an arrogant self absorbed prat I would have seen you weren't a danger to Camelot and I would never have banished you, this never would have happened" 

"Arthur, it's alright I promise. You grew up hating magic, that's not your fault, that's just how you were brought up. I know your opinion on the subject and I know how much it hurts for you to kill people that wield it, especially those who were born with it" Merlin said and without thinking, he put his hand on Arthur's lap.

His eyes widened when he realised what he did and he was just about to yank his hand back when Arthur put his own over it and intertwined their fingers. Both of their hearts were racing in their chests and neither dared to look back up at the other, instead they kept their gaze on their hands.

They both reluctantly looked back up at each other at the same time, their gazes meeting and speaking the words they couldn't. Merlin could see how vulnerable Arthur was being with him and it made his heart skip a beat that he trusted him enough to do so. Arthur could see how scared Merlin was, though he wasn't sure what of. Maybe he was scared of Arthur, maybe he was scared of his own feelings or maybe he was scared of the beast.

"You should get some sleep" Arthur said quietly as he continued to look into the ravens now droopy eyes.

"I'm fine, besides I need to find out what kind of creature this is so I know whether I can defeat it alone" 

"Merlin, you cant even keep your eyes open" Arthur rolled his eyes as Merlin tried his hardest to keep his eyes open.

Merlin went to protest but was stopped by his eyes fluttering closed and his body slumping towards the fire. Arthur quickly grabbed Merlin's waist with his free hand and pulled him into his lap, situating his head so it was resting on his knees. He smiled fondly as he brushed his curls out of his eyes in hopes to get a glimpse of his thick eyelashes he always adored. 

After sitting on the floor next to the fire for a while, Arthur finally began to feel his own eyes droop. He carefully picked Merlin up and took him to his bed, gently sitting him down and pulling the covers over him before he stood back. He lingered next to the bed for a few moments before he brushed the curls out of his face again and placing a soft kiss to his forehead before he headed to his own chambers.

***

The first rays of sunshine creeped through the curtains and onto King Arthur's eyes as he rolled onto his stomach in a desperate attempt to escape the morning. He pulled the blankets over his head and shoved his face into the pillow but his attempt failed as the sun still shone through the sheets. He shoved the blankets off with a huff and that was when he smelt the appetising smell of meats and cheeses. 

Arthur furrowed an eyebrow at this because ever since he fired Merlin as his manservant, he took it upon himself to get his own meals as well as do his own chores. He stood up and walked towards his desk and as soon as he saw the way the food was set out on the tray, a smile crept onto his face. He had watched Merlin in his everyday life enough to know how he always organised the food.

After he ate his food and dressed himself he set off to find Merlin and the rest of the knights. After checking the physicians chambers, the armoury and the field he decided to try to the hall. Sure enough, Merlin and the knights were all sitting at the round table talking about the beast attack.

"Glad you could join us Princess" Gwaine smiled, causing Merlin and the other knights who had their backs to him turn around to face him.

Merlin smiled as their eyes locked but quickly turned around when a blush rose to his cheeks. Arthur chuckled to himself before he joined the others and their conversation.

"Okay so, i finally found out what the beast Is called and luckily I can defeat it myself" Merlin started as he put a piece of paper on the desk that showed a very well done but rough sketch of the creature.

"Did you draw this?" Arthur smiled.

"Yeah" Merlin blushed slightly before composing himself. "its called a Camazotz, its described as a 'giant evil vampire bat demon'" he explained as he put a book on the table. 

The knights stood up and crowded behind Arthur and Merlin so they could read along as well as he continued to explain the creature.

"According to the sources, it will randomly and go on attacks and suck the blood out of both Humans and animals, it only comes out at night and lurks somewhere safe during the day"

"It says here that the creature can only be defeated if it bites a sorcerer or warlock, which is where I come in"

Arthur almost choked on his own saliva, as did some of the knights. "No, there's no way you're sacrificing yourself"

Merlin smiled fondly at him, trying to hide the blush that rose to his cheeks. "I'll be fine, it's not poisonous or anything. The only way I'll be in danger if it bites my neck or it has spikes on it's wings which can sometimes hold poison"

"You just said they weren't poisonous" Arthur exclaimed.

"The actual creature isn't. When it bites me I wont get the poison, and besides, it's rare to see a Camazotz with spikes, though it can happen"

"Is there really no other way?" Gwaine sighed.

"Unfortunately not" Merlin sighed as he picked up the drawing and looked at its features. "Lets just hope it doesn't have spikes or that will make things a lot harder" 

"Well can't we just attack it if it tries to attack you with its wings?" 

"No, absolutely not. You all will stay back in Camelot and wait for me to return" Merlin pointed his finger towards Arthur, knowing he was the most likely to defy orders. 

"And let you go alone? I think not. We're a team, merlin" Gwaine grinned.

"Fine, you can come. But I swear to god if you get to close or try to fight it I will personally kill all of you" Merlin rose from his seat and glared at them, causing them to gulp and nod frantically.

"Good" Merlin smiled, suddenly back to his perky self. "Now we wait for it to attack"

***

It was that same night when the beast attacked again. All of the people from the lower town fled their homes as soon as they heard the screech from the distance while a few decided to stay and protect their homes and children.

The knights, Merlin and Arthur quietly crept in the shadows as they watched the beast land. Arthur's heart hammered in his chest as he watched the beast swing its long tail back and forth, destroying anything in it's path while it walked. 

Merlin, who was at the front of the group, turned back to face the others while simultaneously trying not to expose his cover. 

"We need to get it in the woods, I can't fight it here"

The knights all exchanged worried looks before turning back to the warlock. 

"How do we do that?"

"I'm going to lure it out" Merlin said before he looked around for a second. "Do any of you have a dagger?"

"I do" Gwaine said to the back of the group, handing the sharp object to Merlin who took it carefully in pale, nimble hands.

"What are you going to do?" Arthur whispered from behind him, his eyes darting between Merlin and the large beast that was wreaking havoc on their kingdom.

"I'm going to throw this dagger to get it to turn around then while it's looking for the noise i'm going to run towards the gates in hopes of it seeing me and running after me"

Merlin went to turn around but was stopped by a strong hand on his wrist. He turned around to see Arthur looking back at him with worry etched into those deep blue eyes.

"Be careful"

Merlin nodded before he turned to face the creature. He took a deep breath then he flung the dagger forward, watching as it hit a stone wall opposite them. As soon as the beast turned in the direction of the noise Merlin ran as fast as he could. 

Arthur gulped as the beast shot it's head towards the warlock who had successfully made it out into the woods. The creature screeched again before it leapt in the air, it's large wings flapping slowly as it soared over the walls of Camelot and into the woods.

The knights and Arthur could only stand back and listen as screams were heard. Arthur hoped to god those screams were from the creature and not Merlin, the very thought of it being Merlin made his skin crawl. After they heard the third scream in a very short time span, the men decided enough was enough and they were going to see if their friend was okay.

They ran as fast as they could to the gates and hit behind some trees as they watched Merlin fight the beast. Arthur's jaw dropped and his eyes widened at how powerful Merlin looked in that moment. Though it was dark, the moon shone down on them like a spot light which gave them a chance to see the way he ducked as the beast's tail came swinging at him or the gold in his eyes when he would mutter a spell.

His breath hitched in his throat when the beast suddenly reared on its back legs and swiped Merlin's small body into its claw, bringing it up to his face. Everything after that was such a blur, all Arthur and the knights could remember was seeing the beast suddenly collapse, sending their friend flying in the air. Luckily for Merlin, he landed in a pile of leaves which was conveniently placed.

Arthur screamed Merlin's name as he and the knights ran forward and pulled him out of the pile. He felt sick to his stomach when he saw the amount of blood and tears on his shirt. From what they could see in the light, Merlin had dozens upon dozens of scrapes and scratches on his torso and arms, some were only light scratches like you would get when you scraped your arm on a stick and others were deep gashes that had blood pooling out of them.

Arthur quickly picked Merlin up and ran as fast as he could back to the physicians chambers where he hoped Gaius could do something to help. He burst through the door, startling the old man half to death before he saw his ward in Arthur's arms and quickly hustled about to clean the patient cot.

The King gently set Merlin down and stepped back with the other knights as Gaius tore Merlin's already shredded shirt off and chucked it somewhere unimportant. 

"I need someone to hold him down, this is going to hurt a lot" Gaius gestured to the liquid and bandages he was holding.

Arthur rushed forward and placed his strong hands on the boy's frail shoulders as Gaius started to pour the liquid on the wounds. Gaius tried not to show his worry when the boy barely responded to what should be a very painful experience and instead set about cleaning and bandaging the smaller wounds.

"Is he going to be okay?" Arthur asked as he anxiously but the skin around his thumb, something that he always found himself doing when he was nervous.

After a silence longer than necessary, Gaius turned around and nodded. "He should be. He's no doubt extremely exhausted and won't wake up for a while"

While Gaius and the knights left the room, Arthur kneeled down beside the bed and grasped one of Merlin's warm hands between his own while he tried his best not break down into sobs. It was always harder to see Merlin injured than he was ready to admit. Since the very first week of Merlin being his sorcerer and he drank the poisoned chalice in Arthur's place, the King would get the same sickening feeling bubbling in his gut. He later realised that feeling was worry, and after a long talk with himself, he realised how much he actually worried for the boy which in turn revealed some other not unpleasant revelations.

***

It was two days later when Merlin woke up. Two days of Arthur sitting at Merlin's bedside reading some of his books to him while occasionally stopping to eat the food Gwen had brought him. He was exausted to the bone, there was a dull pounding feeling behind his eyes and he was starting to feel sick from lack of sleep and nutrition but the King refused to leave Merlin's side, even for a second. He had already made Merlin's fear of abandonment come true when he sent the boy away, he was not about to have Merlin wake up alone in the physician chambers.

"Arthur" Merlin muttered, a deep crease between his eyebrows as he slowly cracked his eyes open. The sight of bright blue eyes staring back at him knocked the air out of his lungs and Arthur realised he needed to do something he should have done ages ago.

Arthur shot up from his position from the desk and immediately leant down, wrapping the boy in a bone crushing embrace. It was only when he heard Merlin wince slightly did he pull away and kneel beside the bedside once again.

"Did I kill it?" He spoke, his voice hoarse from the lack of use.

"Yeah, you did" Arthur smiled fondly as he intertwined their hands again, rubbing circles on the backs with his thumbs.

"Yay me" Merlin spoke sarcastically as he desperately tried to keep his eyes open.

"Are you okay? the Knights?" 

"We're fine, Merlin" Arthur rolled his eyes, despite the grin that formed on his face. Merlin did always care about everyone, even when he was the one in danger.

Arthur suddenly felt very bold and fuelled with adrenaline. He leant down and connected their lips together, moving at a slow pace as a very exhausted Merlin tried his best to find the strength to kiss back. He managed to find enough strength to kiss back for a few seconds before darkness overcame him and he fell asleep.

Arthur smiled and climbed onto the bed, pulling the blankets over the two of them and snuggling closer. He put one arm around the boy's shoulders and used the other to gently brush some of the hair off his forehead to place a soft kiss on his temple before he brought his hand down to his waist and tightened his grip, making sure he never let go of the raven haired boy again.


End file.
